Laugh! Why Did You Stop? Don't You Like Laughing? / Vicious, Absolutely Vicious!

You never thought of that? You've got to be kidding.

"On the first day of school, Chabashira-sensei, you said there was nothing in this school that Points couldn't buy. Since that's the case, Midterm Exam scores count as one of those things, so there's no reason they can't be bought."

"I see, I see. That line of reasoning isn't impossible. However, you might not be able to afford the price."

"Name it."

"The three of them need a combined total of fifteen points across all their failing subjects. Let me think... How about one hundred thousand Private Points per point? If you pay one million five hundred thousand Private Points on the spot, they won't have to drop out.

"If you can't afford it, then the agreement between you and them may no longer stand."

One million five hundred thousand?

There probably wasn't enough money among all the Class D students to make up that many Points.

Before they knew it, every student had turned to Kamio Tatsuya, hoping he could come up with another solution.

"Who do you think you're looking down on? It's only one million five hundred thousand Private Points."

As he spoke, Kamio Tatsuya took out his phone, pulled up Chabashira Sae's contact information, and transferred one million five hundred thousand Private Points to her.

At this point, there was no need to keep pretending to be some kind-hearted person.

Seeing the Points on her phone, Chabashira Sae smiled.

"I've received the one million five hundred thousand Points. Sudo, Yamauchi, and Ike, your expulsions have been voided."

Voided, not rescinded. What a way with words.

The three of them were still in a daze, as if everything that had just happened had been a dream.

The other students were dubious about how many Points Kamio Tatsuya had, but no one could bring themself to ask about it at a time like this.

"I'll bring the contract next class."

It was only when Chabashira-sensei reminded them that the three remembered they still had a Scapegoat Contract to sign.

"N-no, this isn't fair! Why can our futures be bought out for a mere one million five hundred thousand?"

As soon as the threat of expulsion was gone, Yamauchi started shouting, trying to renege on the deal.

A mere one million five hundred thousand?

You probably wouldn't make that much in your three years at this school. How could you say something like that with a straight face?

Yamauchi's idiotic remark filled the Class D students' eyes with disgust.

Chabashira Sae merely glanced at him and said coolly, "If you don't intend to sign, then drop out immediately."

He shut his mouth at once and said nothing more, but his eyes were full of resentment as he looked at Kamio Tatsuya.

Heh. This guy had no idea what was going on.

He dared to look at me like that? Didn't he know his fate was in my hands? What an idiot!

Forget it. I wouldn't hold it against a scapegoat.

Laugh! Why aren't you laughing anymore? Don't you like to laugh?

Kamio Tatsuya was quite satisfied as he looked at the contract in his hands.

Although he'd lost one million five hundred thousand Private Points, he'd gained three scapegoats. Kamio Tatsuya thought it was a great deal.

Still, having three scapegoats didn't mean he could do whatever he wanted. After all, there were lines you couldn't cross, even with scapegoats.

Since this had happened in front of the entire Class D, far too many people knew about it. There were always some people who couldn't keep their mouths shut, so the news spread quickly.

In Class A, after Sakayanagi Arisu heard the news, she could only feel admiration. Then she turned to Kamuro Masumi, who was walking with her.

"Masumi, go take out Kamio."

"Huh?" Kamuro Masumi bristled. "How could I possibly do that? Are you kidding?"

"If you use your feminine wiles, I'm sure he'll take the bait. Then even his scapegoats won't be able to save him." Sakayanagi's face was full of teasing amusement.

"If you want to get hit, just say so."

Kamuro Masumi's expression turned decidedly hostile.

"Heh, I was only joking."

Sakayanagi turned away and continued walking. At the same time, she wondered: He's so capable. Has he figured anything out?

In Class B, most of the students reacted like this: "Using your classmates as scapegoats? That's awful."

In Class C, Ryuen's face twisted as soon as he heard the news.

That bastard was already hard to deal with, and now he'd got three extra lives. Who the hell could take him down?

If only someone like that were in the same class...

Maybe he could try targeting those three extra lives.

Ryuen fell into thought.

As for the Failing Group in Class D, after escaping the threat of expulsion, the Three Fools gathered after school and held a small Celebration Party in Ayanokoji's room.

"Cheers!"

Besides Ayanokoji, the Three Fools, Horikita, and Kushida were there. Ayanokoji watched the Three Fools making a racket on the tatami with a thoroughly exasperated look.

"I don't mind you having a Celebration Party, but why do you have to hold it in my room?"

It was bad enough that they'd taken over his room without permission, but they'd even made copies of his room key card behind his back. It was outrageous.

"Come on, don't sweat the details. We made it through the exam!" Ike said happily.

"And it's all thanks to Horikita," Kushida chimed in. "Horikita helped Ike and the others study."

"It wasn't thanks to me." Horikita closed the book she'd been reading and smiled self-deprecatingly. "The truth is, I couldn't do anything. If Kamio hadn't seen through the rules, the three of them might have been expelled already."

At the mention of Kamio Tatsuya, Ike and Yamauchi immediately stopped smiling.

"What? That guy just spent one million five hundred thousand Points to take control of our fate. What kind of classmate does that?"

"Yeah! What kind of classmate acts like that?"

Ike and Yamauchi continued to complain, while Sudo stayed silent.

He might have to drop out in Kamio Tatsuya's place later, but whatever Kamio's reasons, the fact remained that he'd saved them this time.

So he couldn't bring himself to badmouth Kamio Tatsuya behind his back.

"I'd advise you to treat Kamio better."

Hearing Ike and Yamauchi complain, Horikita warned them.

"Huh?"

"Why?"

"Because he holds your fate in his hands. Even though he said he wouldn't deliberately put himself at risk of expulsion, do you have any way of telling whether he's doing something on purpose or by accident? If you anger him, I'm sure he won't hesitate to make one of you drop out first."

After Horikita Suzune explained the situation, the two fell silent.

It did kind of make sense.

With Ike and Yamauchi no longer making a racket, and the topic they'd just discussed being rather heavy, the room fell quiet for a while.

"Forget it. Let's not talk about that guy. Anyway, it's great that we didn't get expelled this time. Let's drink to that!"

Ike picked up his drink again and clinked it against Sudo's and Yamauchi's.

"Don't celebrate too soon. The Final Exam is next month, and I expect it to be even harder than this one."

"Is the hellish studying about to start again? This is awful."

Ike fell to the floor in despair and clutched his head.

"This time, I'll make sure to keep a close eye on you. I won't let you face expulsion for the same reason again. Be ready."

Horikita looked at them and spoke coldly.

"Ah, have mercy!"

Seeing how fired up Horikita was, Kushida's smile turned a little strained.

Perhaps because he'd gained three scapegoats, Kamio Tatsuya was having a little trouble falling asleep.

After getting out of bed, Kamio Tatsuya habitually opened the fridge to get something to drink, only to find it completely empty.

With no other choice, he changed clothes and went downstairs to the vending machine to buy something.

After buying a can of almond milk from the vending machine, Kamio Tatsuya planned to finish it and go straight back to bed.

Almonds were rich in magnesium, which helped relieve muscle tension and nervous excitement, making it easier to sleep.

But just as he was about to pull the tab, he saw Kushida Kikyo coming out of the dormitory.

Kushida Kikyo?

What was she doing out so late?

Kushida Kikyo was determined to be friends with everyone, and she was extremely popular among the First Years. But Kamio Tatsuya didn't think she was as harmless as she appeared.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been placed in Class D.

For the sake of a peaceful life in the future, Kamio Tatsuya felt he needed to uncover Kushida Kikyo's hidden secret.

And tonight was his chance.

After waiting for Kushida to leave, Kamio Tatsuya quietly followed her until she stopped beside the school's artificial lake.

Seeing her, Kamio Tatsuya's heart skipped a beat.

Holy crap, is she thinking of jumping into the lake?

After all, these past few days she'd had to deal with those two idiots, Ike and Yamauchi, almost every day, while putting on a smile for them. Could the pressure have gotten to her?

Just as Kamio Tatsuya was wondering whether he should go over and stop her,

Kushida Kikyo made her move.

Bang!

"You're so damn annoying! Just because you're cute, you think you can do whatever you want!"

Bang! Bang!

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

What the hell?

Kamio Tatsuya froze for a moment. Holy crap, I think I've stumbled onto something huge. I'd better record this first.

But he was also relieved. So this is your real nature?

Interesting.

After venting, Kushida let out a long breath, and her body seemed to relax a little.

"So this is the real you?"

Kushida, who had just started to relax, froze where she stood. It was as if time itself had stopped for her.

Cruel. Absolutely cruel!

Kushida turned around stiffly and saw Kamio Tatsuya drinking almond milk.

"Why are you here?"

"Of course I followed you after I saw you leave."

"You... saw?"

Looking at Kushida Kikyo's gloomy expression, Kamio Tatsuya felt he'd made quite a discovery tonight.

"If you mean kicking the railing while cursing Horikita, then yes, I saw it all very clearly."

Kamio Tatsuya took a sip of the almond milk in his hand. It tasted very sweet.

At a time like this, the important thing wasn't the taste, but the seasoning.

"I'll admit, I was surprised too. I knew you had a secret, but I didn't expect it to be something like this."